The present invention relates to chocolate compositions; in particular it relates to oil-in-water type water-containing chocolate compositions referred to as ganache-type, and to uses thereof.
Oil-in-water type water-containing chocolate compositions (which in general are called xe2x80x9cganachesxe2x80x9d), manufactured by mixing chocolate foodstuff with moisture in for example creams, are used as high-grade confectionery materials. Ganaches may be used for napping cakes (i.e., coating onto cake surfaces with a spatula), for flower-making using confectionery tools, or they may be sandwiched between tortes.
Nevertheless, problems with conventional ganaches have been pointed out, such as the following.
In the first place, baking in an oven conventional ganache set or applied onto the surface of butter-cakes/cookies, for example, risks the ganache boiling and flowing away. In the second place, there is a risk that baking cakes in which the interior is filled with conventional ganaches might create a large cavity against the upper part of the filling and gush the ganache out.
Due to such problems, conventional ganaches are generally coated on or filled into cakes/cookies after baking. Though in fact in some instances ganaches are, notwithstanding, used in cakes/cookies prior to baking, such cases require extraordinarily high-level techniques in which the ganache is frozen, molded into balls, and carefully embedded into cookie/cake dough. Moreover, because the frozen ganache becomes fluid and peripherally sticky with elevation in temperature, which furthermore significantly deteriorates its baking tolerance, it is difficult to handle.
Taking into account these problematic points, various types of ganache have been proposed conventionally. For instance, Japanese Laid-Open Pat. App. No. 3-198742 proposes a method for manufacturing chocolate mousse using whipped-egg-white meringue and a specified amount of xanthan gum. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Pat. App. No. 4-95447 proposes a very emulsification-stabilized chocolate composition in which polyglycerin fatty acid ester is employed as an emulsifier. Each of these, however, is inferior in baking tolerance, and neither sufficiently resolves the conventional problems.
Now, general conventional chocolates have rich cacao flavors and snap, and characteristically dissolve by melting rapidly within the mouth. In addition there are chocolates of somewhat inferior cacao flavor richness, in which the non-tempered line of hard butters are used as fat/oil components (i.e., quasi-chocolates under the Japanese standard). Many among the chocolates that are ranked quasi-chocolates also have the just-noted snap and dissolving characteristics, in that they melt rapidly within the mouth.
Lately, however, to suit consumer preference development of chocolates having taste and texture different from conventional chocolates is anticipated.
The present invention is ganache-type chocolate compositions presenting flavors having a high-grade sense and which are smooth to the palate. The invention offers chocolate compositions having excellent inclusion characteristics, and baking tolerance, steam-cooking tolerance, or frying tolerance when included in confectionery dough during chocolate confectionary manufacture, and offers uses thereof. Also, the present invention provides chocolate confectionary of new tastes and texture that have not existed before.
As a result of concerted investigation to achieve the foregoing objects, the present inventors found that the problems noted above may be resolved by water-containing chocolates obtained by adding a specified proportion of heat-coagulating protein and/or starchy ingredient(s) to a mixture in which a specified proportion moisture is mixed into a chocolate foodstuff including non-fat cacao in part and fats/oils.
Further, it was discovered that by baking such chocolate compositions themselves, the light crispy taste and texture of baked confectionary is imparted even to the chocolate compositions.
That is, the gist of the present invention is oil-in-water, water-containing chocolate compositions that are: moisture, and heat-coagulating protein and/or starchy ingredient(s) added to predetermined chocolate foodstuff. The present invention then relates to uses of chocolate compositions wherein chocolate confectioneries are manufactured by setting/coating the chocolate compositions onto, or including them into, confectionary dough, and to uses wherein chocolate confectioneries are manufactured by cooking the chocolate compositions directly.
Components and Methods
The chocolate composition in the first embodiment includes 1 to 30 wt. % non-fat cacao part, 10 to 50 wt. % fats/oils, 4 to 40 wt. % moisture, and 0.2 to 10 wt. %, by anhydride conversion, heat-coagulating protein (weight percents are with respect to the entire chocolate composition). And its non-liquid state is at 5xc2x0 C.
The non-fat cacao part means a portion of the solid components derived from cacao bean from which cocoa butter is excluded. Cacao mass, cacao, various chocolate foodstuff made by these materials, and all of processed products thereof may be used for the non-fat cacao components. It is suitable that the amount of the non-fat cacao components is between 1 and 30 wt. %, preferably between 2 and 15 wt. %, with respect to the entire amount of the food product. Less than the lower limit does not yield the so-called ganache-like body exhibiting plasticity; surpassing the upper limit very much raises the viscosity, making production difficult.
The moisture may simply be water, or may be derived from the heat-coagulating protein. Preferable examples are: moisture in which powdered skim milk or non-fat powdered milk is dissolved or dispersed in water; natural fresh creams; milk; condensed milk; moisture containing dairy constituents such as synthetic creams in which animal and vegetable fats and oils that have been conventionally developed are used; or moisture containing saccharides. The amount of moisture suitably is 4 to 40 wt. %, preferably 15 to 25 wt. %, with respect to the gross weight of the chocolate composition. At less than the lower limit, oil-in-water type emulsification, or even mimicking emulsions in which emulsification is not perfect, are difficult; exceeding the upper limit makes it difficult to gain the so-called ganache-like body in which plasticity is exhibited.
The heat-coagulating proteins are essential components for imparting satisfactory baking tolerance to the applicable food products. The protein is contained, with respect to the food item gross weight, at 0.2 to 10 wt. %, preferably 0.5 and 3.5 wt. %, by anhydride conversion. Albumen is illustrative of the protein. Such albumen may be fresh egg whites, in which the moisture is contained, or those that are frozen, or concentrates. Or it may be dehydrated egg whites from which the moisture has been removed. If the amount of these heat-coagulating proteins is at less than the lower limit, sufficient baking tolerance will not be obtained, and if it surpasses the upper limit, strong effects on the heat-coagulating proteins themselves appear, and the flavors and texture of the food items deteriorate, spoiling their commercial value.
xe2x80x9cFats/oils,xe2x80x9d as the fat/oil ingredient, include vegetable fats/oils such as: rape oil, sunflower seed oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, corn oil, safflower oil, olive oil, kapok oil, sesame oil, evening primrose oil, palm oil, shea oil, sal oil, cacao oil, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil; and animal fats/oils such as milk fat, tallow, lard, fish oil, and whale oil. Single oils or mixed oils from these fats/oils may be used; and processed fats/oils produced from these by hardening, fractionating, or ester exchange may also be used. Moreover, commercially available butters, margarines, shortenings or hard butters may be used. The quantity of the fats/oils is 10 to 50 wt. %, preferably 15 to 40 wt. %, with respect to the chocolate composition gross weight. With amounts less than the lower limit, the so-called ganache-like body in which satisfactory plasticity is exhibited is difficult to gain; surpassing the upper limit gives rise to the separation of the oil part.
It should be noted that one, two or more emulsifiers such as lecithins, sucrose-fatty acid esters, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and mono-glycerides can be added, as needed, in order to obtain a stable emulsions. Also, fruit juices or various liquors for flavoring and preservation may be added, or sweetening agents such as starch syrup may be added to adjust the sweetness. Furthermore, gums, for example xanthan gum, locust bean gum, guar gum, and gum arabic, furcellaran, CMC, micro-crystalline cellulose, pectin, agar, carrageenan, and gelatins may be added as a stabilizers according to need.
The chocolate compositions are manufactured as follows.
Initially, the moisture is heated to 65 to 70xc2x0 C., whereupon a chocolate foodstuff into which fats/oils have been melted is added by stirring in; further it is emulsified and cooled. Prior to the emulsifying step or homogenizing step, disinfecting or sterilizing may be done. As stirring methods herein, either a gentle by-hand stirring procedure, or a high-speed stirring system capable of applying strong shear forces (e.g., a stirring system in which the xe2x80x9cHomomixerxe2x80x9d [Tokushukika Kogyo, Ltd., mfr.] or the like is employed) may be used. A homogenizing process (5 to 150 Kg/cm2) may be carried out as needed.